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Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, published a message on its Facebook page this week relaying a warning to bereaved parents planning to attend a Ricky Gervais live show at Belfast's Waterfront Hall.

Sands Northern Ireland said in the post: "We have just had a message from a bereaved couple who were at the Ricky Gervais show ... last night.

"They have asked us to make any bereaved parents attending the show tonight (29th March) that there is a joke in the show about dead babies which upset the couple so much that they had to leave the show."

The couple were Suzi and Ryan Gourley from Bangor, who lost their baby son Eli last July. Mrs Gourley told Belfast Live: “I know people take things differently and I know our emotions are raw, but why joke about a baby being dead? It’s just wrong.

“Some people might read this and think we’re over sensitive and maybe we are - but it’s just not funny.

Suzi and Ryan GourleyCredit:
Facebook

“We went and hoped to have a bit of a laugh. It was our first night out together - I’d heard of this comedian but I’d never seen him.

"I didn’t know what his jokes were like but I wouldn’t have expected that in a million years from anybody."

She also urged the comedian to drop the joke, saying: "Please, please consider your audience. Bereaved parents are one in four. There’s no way I was the only one sitting there last night that that didn’t strike a nerve with.”

Ricky Gervais in currently performing his first live show in seven years, titled Humanity. It received a four-star review from the Telegraph's Dominc Cavendish, who described it as a "timely reconfirmation of his rare aptitude as a breeze-shooter: a winning combination of straight-talking pub philosopher, wind-up merchant and incorrigible class-clown."

Mr Gervais posted a series of tweets on Thursday morning in which he seemed to be addressing the controversy:

"Is there any subject you shouldn't joke about?" is no less ridiculous a question than "Is there any subject you shouldn't talk about?"

In their Facebook post on the subject Sands NI added: "Going out after a loss can be a difficult thing to do. There are feelings of doubt, thoughts that you shouldn't be enjoying yourself as it is somehow disrespectful to your child's memory.

"If you are going to the Waterfront Hall tonight please be aware of this part of the show as it may be upsetting."